Master of Education Program

Curriculum

Our program theme, The Teacher as Leader in a Learning Community, summarizes the goals of our classes. The principles of democracy and social justice are key ideas that guide this process. The classes offered through this program integrate these ideas with the concepts of planning and preparation, the classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibility. The following themes direct that integration:

Teacher Effectiveness

Professional Growth

Equity in Schools

High Expectations

Technology Integration

Purposeful Teaching

Coherent Planning and Instruction

Candidates within the program are expected to integrate these themes in order to be leaders among those with whom and for whom they work.

TMC's Teacher Leader M.Ed. is a five semester, thirty-three (33) credit hour program. The suggested course load is two classes per semester during the school year, with three courses taken over the intermediate summer. Classes will be held at the Thomas More College campus with hybrid classes, off-site meeting arrangements, or online. All classes will be offered in a hybrid format--meeting both face-to-face and online over the course of the semester--at least one-third of the meeting times (5 out of 15 weeks). Several courses will be offered with a higher online content delivery rate (up to 15 weeks) to accommodate student schedules. Additionally, faculty may accommodate candidate needs via off-site meeting arrangements. Transfer credit options and independent studies will be offered on a case-by-case basis.

EDM 611 (3) Instructional Leadership in Schools for Diverse Populations
In this course, the teacher leader candidates will study the foundations of school/district leadership and how effective leaders address issues related to race, gender, sexual orientation, social class, socio-economic status, disability, and/or language, in order to transform schools and districts in ways that serve the interests of all students.

EDM 631 (3) Curriculum Design and Assessment for All Learners
This course reviews the research and implementation of curriculum and assessment design principles for teacher leader candidates. Through this course, teacher leader candidates will understand how to evaluate curriculum for quality, accuracy, and effectiveness.

EDM 612 (3) Standards and Reform in Educational Leadership
This course explores the historical and current standards of reform in educational leadership. Throughout the course, candidates will examine how reforms in educational leadership stress the ways in which teachers can work collaboratively to build a shared vision and a supportive culture that identifies common school-wide goals while simultaneously monitoring and evaluating the progress of these goals.

EDM 632 (3) Transforming Schools and Classrooms for 21st Century Skills
This course reviews the most current research in the area of 21st Century Skills, teacher leadership development, curriculum development, and student learning. It will provide candidates with current models, techniques, and processes recommended by leaders in school reform to create effective change in schools.

EDM 621 (3) Educational Change and Effectiveness
This course explores how teacher leaders can be catalysts for change by deepening their knowledge about educational policy and affecting change in diverse school settings. This course considers how broader trends affect the structure and purpose of educational systems, how changes within education affect the wider society, how systems of schooling themselves change, and the prospects for planned change within systems of schooling. Finally, this course will discuss the framework for professional learning communities, systematic change, and effectiveness through a review of literature.

EDM 622 (3) Research in Educational Issues: Contemporary PerspectivesIn this course, students will explore how educational research is performed, interpreted, and applied to revise/improve instruction. In professional learning communities, students will collect and analyze educational data to improve student achievement or address key issues within a school.

EDM 633 (3) Conducting Action Research in Classrooms The primary focus of this course is to implement and complete action research from a practitioner's point of view. In this course, through action research, teacher leader candidates will design, adapt, and deliver action research projects to address diverse student learning strengths and needs and create opportunities for candidates to demonstrate their learning in various ways.

EDM 634 (3) Content Literacy and New Media in Education In the 21st Century students need to develop new literacy skills to be college and career ready for our evolving global economy. In this course, teacher leader candidates will critically examine and analyze the way media and information literacies influence student understanding of content. This course will allow the teacher leader candidates to have a critical media literacy education that provides a framework for the multiple forms of new literacy needs for living, working and citizenship in the 21st century.

EDM 651 (3) Integrating 21st Century Skills in the Classroom I:Content and Skills DevelopmentThis course provides teacher leader candidates the practical skills needed to learn about current educational technologies that aid in developing 21st Century Skills. Teacher leader candidates in this course will learn about ways to use and integrate technology in classrooms for delivery of instruction, assessment, and feedback.

EDM 652 (3) Integrating 21st Century Skills in the Classroom 2: Integration Processes and Techniques
This is a second course in a sequence to address 21st Century Skills integration in classrooms. The primary focus of this course is for teacher leader candidates to learn to integrate and implement age/grade appropriate educational technologies in classrooms.

EDM 661 (3) Independent Study/Transfer Credit/Content Related
This course assists the teacher leader candidate with the opportunity to develop and master skills to address needs for their professional growth in any of the following areas: content, foundations, procedures, application, or analysis. This course should have a direct impact on student learning or school improvement. The candidate consults with the faculty advisor in order to develop a plan of action that supports both the professional growth plan and/or the capstone project.

EDM 662 (3) Independent Study/ Transfer Credit/Content RelatedThis course assists the teacher leader candidate with the opportunity to develop and master skills to address needs for their professional growth in any of the following areas: content, foundations, procedures, application, or analysis. This course should have a direct impact on student learning or school improvement. The candidate consults with the faculty advisor in order to develop a plan of action that supports both the professional growth plan and/or the capstone project.

EDM 701 (3) Capstone Project in Assessment, Reform, and 21st Century Skills: Independent Study
The capstone project is a reflection of teacher leadership candidate skills he or she has developed through the course of the Teacher Leader Masters in Education program. It provides the opportunity for teacher leader candidates to apply the knowledge they have gained and conduct an original project over a period of time that showcases the concepts and skills that you have acquired as a Teacher Leader.